


A Light In The Darkest Heart

by Herbeloved82



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: All Human, Alternate Universe - BDSM, Angst, BDSM, DomPeter, M/M, Mention of Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, subChris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2018-12-15 09:28:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11803233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herbeloved82/pseuds/Herbeloved82
Summary: In a world where tragedy linked their families Peter and Chris find each other and begin the slow path to healing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lostwithoutmyanchor (mysourwolf)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysourwolf/gifts).



> Thanks to Lostwithoutmyanchor for her help, and to everyone who cherred my up and helped me with this story. You are all amazing people and talented authors.

It had been a hard day at work for Peter Hale. To be the CEO of his own company - born from the ashes of what had been his sister’s empire - took much of his time and energy, but Peter couldn’t complain. 

Now, in his own home, his sanctuary, Peter can at least relax. To be alone in the huge mansion wasn’t a hardness for him. He chose the land personally and oversaw the whole process of building his house the way he wanted it. 

Looking at his house, people would probably say that the younger Hale threw away his money, but they didn’t know him at all, so Peter didn’t really care about what they had to say. Everything about the house was exactly what Peter wanted. 

Style and luxury went side by side with elegance and comfort. The house was Peter’s lair and was a reflection of Peter inside and out. Cold and distant. He wasn’t always like that. As a child and a young man he was the emblem of rebellion and stubbornness, but life shaped the man he was now, and Peter liked who he was. 

 

With his plan clear in mind, Peter was annoyed when his private phone rang, disrupting his meticulously created solitude he created for himself. However few people had this particular number. Peter would hear what they had to say. He just didn’t know that one simple phone call could change his whole life. 

A cold smirk - one that would scare even the bravest of men - suddenly turned his features from handsome to dangerous. The beast that Peter kept well hidden during the day wanted out, and the man didn’t stop it. 

*** 

Peter had to admit that his prey was smart. Not that he ever doubted it - the man was a clever and sneaky bastard even when he didn’t try - but this showed exactly how well he learned and how incredible he was as an opponent. 

The club was way outside their city. A place where it was highly possible that no one would ever recognize him. Too bad that night his luck ran out. Peter left his black car to the young man at the door. It was clear from how his shoulders straightened as soon as Peter approached, that the lad knew perfectly well what he was. The black mask covering his face would hide his identity, but the way he carried himself loudly spoke of a Dom well used to be obeyed. 

It was a very good thing that Peter knew the club as the palm of his hand. His prize was in a reserved room, one where only wealthy and known customers were allowed, vulnerable and at his mercy. 

More than once Peter had wondered about the man he was going to destroy. He had daydreamed about the possibility of their dynamics beautifully melting together - because Peter knew that the other one was a submissive - of something more than hate between them. But now the time came and he knew there was nothing else that could be done. 

The affiliate who called him was someone Peter trusted. Not because the man was particularly loyal, but because Peter could feed his addictions and did it without hesitation. Today he did Peter a huge service, and tomorrow he would be rewarded for it. Their partnership would keep going and both of them would take the best from it. It was a simple business deal and it satisfied both. 

*** 

When he finally arrived Peter wasn’t surprised by the room itself. More than once he paid good money for the comfort and privacy the club offered and he knew first hand the high quality offered and the attention put in the choice of the tools. What surprised him was his reaction to the view in front of him. 

The man tied to the cross was, in a single word, beautiful. He was the stuff of wet dreams and his skin created an alluring contrast against the black leather adorning the cross itself. The metal frame that held his weight was a piece of art that made the whole picture even more appealing. 

Peter had been a Dom for a long part of his life now, but he hardly remembered a sub that caused him to harden in his pants at first sight. 

Near the cross, on a small and homemade cart, there were many tools, more that usually were used on a normal scene. Whips and floggers and even a cane, something that not many subs really enjoy. 

The cane was a fiberglass one, if Peter knew his business, and it meant that the pet was up for pain, a lot of it if the tool was used well. The leather cat of nine tails confirmed his suspicion, but the unmarred skin on display told Peter that it was a long time since the sub presented himself for a session. 

Someone handed him a signed contract, and Peter didn’t waste too much time looking at it. It only lasted for the night, and it wasn’t all that long. The man asked for very detailed things and agreed to use a traffic-light safeword. Peter wasn’t too fond of them, he preferred his submissive put their time into choosing the right word, something meaningful for them, but for now he accepted to work with the colors system. 

The humiliation section caught his attention. At first sight the pet on the cross had a very strong need to be owned and controlled. Peter would say claimed and branded, but he still didn’t know the man well enough to go so far. But what he read only confirmed what he thought since he stepped into the room. 

The pet wanted pain and he wanted it to last for a long time, probably because he already knew that it would be a long time before he could manage the bravery to come back. 

Peter had learned how to hide his secret, but for a sub it was even harder. If Peter was ever found out, he wasn’t afraid his client would turn their back to him. After the clamour faded down, he was pretty sure that more people would come to him for deals, but a submissive would lose his face in front of those sharks, and his company would die a slow and shameful death. 

If the thought would have made him happy only a few hours before, now Peter found himself strangely angry to that possibility. 

The air was strained with tension. Everyone was waiting for something, and Peter took things in his hands. With a wave of his head he told the other Dom in the room to leave, and the man silently obliged. The sub didn’t even realize what just happened. 

The way he was tied showed the mastery of the Dom with chains, but it left Peter wondering. Legs and arms were bound tightly, but that wasn’t a surprise. The spreading bar between his ankles was an overkill in Peter’s opinion. There were various hooks on the cross, and the chains created complicated patterns on smooth skin. What Peter never saw before was the way the pet’s neck was tied. 

There was a sturdy looking collar around what Peter could only imagine being an elegant neck. Two d-rings were linked to short chains, tied on hooks. The pet couldn’t move his head, at all. 

That was the first signal telling him that the sub in the room wasn’t undamaged. The tension in his body and the light shake of his muscles once again confirmed his concern. The poor thing thought he wouldn’t get what he so desperately needed to function, but Peter wasn’t going to let him down. 

He didn’t know what would happen after the scene and for now his mind was focused only on taking care of the man on the cross. Everything else could wait. 

He walked to the cart and let his long fingers stroke the tools. The leather of the chosen whip was smooth and well cared for. The nine braids, perfectly symmetrical, told Peter everything he needed to know about the mastery with which the tool was made. When his fingers touched the leather he realized that the leather was heavily conditioned and a smirk appeared on his face. Soft and at the same time thick enough to be felt since the first licks. A dream for every Dom who loved to use a whip. Even the weight was perfect, almost like it was created to fit his hand. Peter’s smirk grew bigger. That was it. The whip would be the first tool he used on the sub. He could already picture in his mind how the tails would spread out at the same time and make more surface contact with the pet’s back. His cock gave an interested twitch inside his pants. 

Peter stepped right back the sub, so close that the other man could feel the warmth from his body exactly like Peter could feel his. He wanted to touch and taste, to tease and finally give him what he needed, but first he wanted to play. 

With the hard knot of leather, placed at the end of the handle, Peter gently stroked the pet’s spine. He had such an elegant back, made for Peter to mark and abuse. The Dom couldn’t stop his mind from picturing the other man in full bondage and his cock ached delightfully. 

This time, when the whole sub’s body shook, Peter knew it wasn’t because of fear or hesitation, but because of need. Building the expectation was a trick he had learned early in life, and he would use every dirty one he had in his sleeve to put the other man exactly where he wanted him; at his mercy, begging for more. 

The pet was exceptionally well behaved. Even if it was clear how much he enjoyed the attention, he didn’t make a sound. He didn’t beg the Dom for more. He knew it was his show and that he would get everything he signed for all in due time. 

Peter wanted both to compliment whoever trained him and punch his face in good measure. He wasn’t jealous by nature, but very possessive of his subs. To know that someone else shaped the other man into what he was left Peter with an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. It didn’t matter now that technically the pet wasn’t his. 

The past couldn’t be changed, but at least for the near future Peter could make sure that the other would forget everything else but the here and now. 

At first Peter flicked his wrist so that the whip worked as a flogger. The portion of skin hit that way was larger, and Peter couldn’t deny how impressed he was. The sub didn’t make a sound before Peter hit for the fifth time, but it was beautiful to see how the tension left his muscles as soon as his skin was kissed for the first time. The pet gave himself to pain and sensation without a second thought. Peter was sure if he could see his face now, he would find the man with his eyes closed and a blessed expression on his face. 

He didn’t waste time between strokes and watched mesmerized while the canvas in front of him blossomed in darker shades of pink. When he knew the sub mentally prepared himself for the next lick, Peter stopped, breaking the rhythm. That was the first time he heard a sound from the sub, a small whine that the man couldn’t stop and made Peter chuckle. Yes. That was amazing. The things he could do to this pet filled his mind with filthy and delicious pictures. 

When Peter began again, he changed the angles so that the leather would hit other parts of the sub’s back. This time he couldn’t stop a shout. Finally, Peter thought. Finally he was letting everything go. It was music for his ears, because between the small screams and the rattling of the chains he could hear the “yes” whispered with such relief that it warmed his soul. 

Soon enough the endorphins would flow in his body and the pet would be free of the restrictions he forced on himself. Peter couldn’t wait the moment he would see the sub coming undone under his ministration. 

While the lower part of his presented only faded traces of light strokes, Peter would never endanger the pet’s safety, the upper part, above all the muscles between his shoulder blades, was angry red. 

It was the moment Peter was waiting for. The turning point in every scene. The moment in which the sub would try to escape the whip while pushing back against it at the same time. If the whipping was too much, that would be the moment the safeword could be used. If, like Peter thought, it wasn’t enough, soon would be time to change tool. 

Even this time the pet didn’t disappoint him. Slowly he walked back to the cart and took the cane in his hand, swishing it a couple of time, just to enjoy the other man’s reaction. His back straightened, oblivious of how much that simple gesture intensified the welts Peter just left. 

“You’re so good, pet. So good for me.” 

Peter knew that the mask would muffle his voice. He wasn’t worried about the sub recognizing him, and even if he didn’t like to talk during a session, he knew the pet needed the reassurance his words would give. 

The change was instant. His whole body relaxed against the cross, like Peter’s voice physically reached his body. The little sigh that filled the room melted Peter’s heart. 

On a red canvas, Peter’s cane created stains of purple. The sub was slipping into subspace thanks to the pain Peter was gifting him. It was like to watch art being created on a living creature. It was perfect in its imperfection, the mirror of human strength and weakness mixed together. 

Peter didn’t know how long he played with the other man. His arm and shoulder began to ache a while ago, but Peter knew it wasn’t time to call it to an end. Both of them still needed more, and so he kept going. 

Only when he saw his knees bend and his legs begin to give up, Peter stopped his ministration. The clattering sound of the cane hitting the floor told the sub that the scene was over and Peter watched how his body went limp against the cross. Only the chains kept him from falling. 

Now that he could, Peter walked around the cross. His cock was as hard as a rock now. To watch the pet take his pain so well only exacerbated his situation. The blessed and peaceful expression that greeted him was all he needed to know that he did a good job. But the scene wasn’t over yet. Peter still needed to do something to make it perfect. 

The pet’s eyes were still downcast. By the tension in his body Peter knew he was still hard. He didn’t find release during the scene, even if his whole body begged for it. Such a beautiful show of self restraining needed a reward, but not before Peter found his pleasure. 

He was simply perfect. With a hasty move Peter unzipped his trousers and his cock sprang free, slapping the sub on his cheek. He hissed when the pet’s beard scratched against his smooth skin, but Peter always enjoyed a man with a well kept facial hair, so he slapped those beautifully shaped cheeks, smearing his precum all over his face and leaving behind wet trails that shone at the light of the room. 

Everything in the sub was so alluring and called to Peter like a siren song he couldn’t resist. his cock was wet enough that Peter didn’t need anything else to ease the rub of skin against skin. His rhythm was fast and bordered desperation. 

What threw Peter over the edge was the way his pet acted. The little whimpers he gave, how perfect he was with his eyes closed and air of pure bliss around him. His mouth formed sweet words when the first drops of Peter’s pearly cum marked his face. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you…” That was what Peter kept hearing while he emptied himself, spurt after spurt, marking the pet as his. 

Peter’s only regret was not to be as young as he used to be anymore. To see the pet shyly licking his lips, where some of the drops fell, to hear his moans, louder and louder almost made him hard again. 

“You can come now, pet.” Peter knew that was what the sub was waiting for. The last push he needed to let it go. Peter’s breath was taken from his lungs when the sub gave up himself to pleasure. His body was so ready that he came as soon as Peter told him to, like the two were born for that moment, to share something so deep. 

His pink tongue tried to clean every bit he could reach, and it was with Peter’s cum on his tongue that he came, hard. It was something that Peter wanted to see, again and again. He wanted to be the one to allow him pleasure, to give him it and everything that was in his power to give. 

With a new plan, clear in him, Peter tucked himself back in his trousers and waited for the other man to come back from his high. Not that he was in any rush. Peter never denied himself things that pleasured him, and to watch the sub was now one of them. 

The contract didn’t say anything about aftercare but Peter wasn’t going to ignore one of the essential parts of a scene. Still he had to do something first. 

The pet still had his eyes downcast and Peter took advantage of that to unlock the mask. Unlike other times, he didn’t let it slip from his fingers. With his free hand he cupped the pet’s face, forcing him to look up as much as the collar allowed him. 

“Hello Christopher.” 

Peter watched with sadistic satisfaction the pet’s pupils getting wider when he recognized who just dominated him. 

“Don’t be so scared. I have a proposition for you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftercare, because it's important...

Chris couldn’t really say how he felt watching Peter Hale. Too many emotions, too many thoughts made it impossible for him to process what had just happened. Everything moved in slow motion and Chris wanted to laugh. Of course, the only man he ever met who was able to push him down into subspace so sweetly was also the one who would destroy him. 

But it also was like a weight was finally lifted from his shoulders. It was a poetical kind of justice. Chris knew that Peter Hale had every right to hate his whole family and a part of him was glad that it was him who had found out his secret. 

It would have been different if someone else exposed him. Someone who didn’t have the history Peter shared with Gerard and the Argents. Now he felt almost at peace. Of course, it hurt - Chris had fought all his life to escape Gerard’s influence, to make a name for himself in a field where Gerard was the undisputed puppet master behind every transaction - but that bitter moment also tasted like freedom. 

Once exposed, Chris wouldn’t need to hide anymore. Everyone would know even if he tried hard not to let his nature to interfere with his everyday life. Maybe after the scandal and the public shaming he could leave once and for all, and perhaps, somewhere far away he could find a place to live his life being simply Christopher and not Gerard’s ruined son. 

A tear ran down his face but a warm thumb caught it before it could reach the corner of his mouth. The gesture was strangely tender and it took away his breath. Chris couldn’t really remember a moment when someone comforted him like Peter’s mere presence did. 

The thought that Gerard could be right when he called him crazy made him chuckle. Gerard would have the best day of his life knowing that Chris finally agreed with him on something. But that was a secret Chris would take into his grave, side by side with the one he knew he couldn’t share with anyone. 

Chris was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even realize Peter had begun to unlock the chains keeping him in place. The younger man was so incredibly gentle that for a moment Chris forgot what would happen once he was free and back on his feet. 

He didn’t have any power over what Peter would do and he still wasn’t fully back to himself. Peter pushed him so deeply down that without the right kind of aftercare he would need a lot to come out of it alone - so he let his instincts dictate his action. He let himself go and allowed his mind to trick him into believing that Peter was his Dom, that he would take care of his emotional needs like he did his physical ones. 

After he closed his eyes, it was even easier to imagine he was somewhere else - someone else - and that his life was exactly like he wanted it to be. And when Peter’s scent engulfed his senses, his fantasy was complete. Damn even his scent was good. For a moment Chris wondered what he did to deserve the universe hating him so much. The man was simply perfect and so out of his league it hurt. 

*** 

 

Peter didn’t need to read minds to know exactly what Chris was thinking right now. The man was so open that his emotions shone in his expressive eyes like a fire in the night. He was so different from the closed and guarded man who made a name for himself in a world that worshipped Gerard Argent as the best weapons creator ever born. 

The Christopher in front of him was the one who would hide behind walls and masks to be protected and left alone. Peter couldn’t claim he knew Christopher Argent enough to judge, but from what he saw, he knew he was looking at the real man, the one he would have been without his father’s influence. 

And he really liked what he saw, now he only had to make Chris see that what he had in mind was the best solution for both of them. But first, there was something he needed to take care of. 

Their time together wasn’t over yet, and Peter would never neglect a sub or deny himself the pure pleasure of taking care of one. Aftercare was important to cement a relationship, or in this case, to lay the bases for one. 

*** 

Everything spun around them. Chris’ eyes were foggy but his mind was still functioning enough to know that the only reason why he was standing was that Peter was holding him. 

Where the Dom was taking him, Chris didn’t know, but all he could do was trust him, though that was an alien concept for him. For as long as he could remember, Gerard had always told him to never trust anyone. When even his family turned its back on him, he learned his lesson, or he thought he did. 

Now he was trusting Peter Hale with his vulnerability and confusion was the only emotion he could feel. Not about his reaction, but because of what the other man was doing. What was his endgame? Why waste time now that revenge was at his fingertips? 

All the questions left his mind when Chris realized he was laying down on the massage bed that Chris had never used before. The sheet smelled clean and fresh and helped Chris’ mind to focus again. What was going on?

“Sir?” 

*** 

Peter mentally cursed when he heard how unsure Chris’ voice sounded. Was it possible that the mere notion of aftercare was so foreign to him to confuse the man so deeply? The answer to that question could hold the power to piss Peter off and right now he had a sub to pamper. Later he would think about unpleasant things, but now he wouldn’t deny himself the pleasure of Chris’ beautifully colored flesh exposed for him. 

The soothing scent of lavender oil filled the room and calmed Peter’s mind. “Relax pet, I’m here.” 

It was freeing to show himself to Chris. He couldn’t regret the trick he used to be in the room, it was what brought them to that exact moment, but to be himself was what Peter preferred. He never hid who and what he was and he wouldn’t begin now. 

When he turned, a bowl filled with warm oil in his hands, he realized that his voice relaxed the man already and a small smirk turned his lips. He had never met someone as responsive as Chris. The man was born to submit and Peter knew he couldn’t lose something so precious. 

***

When something warm hit his abused skin, Chris almost jumped, but when the drops were followed by Peter’s large hands, kneading his flesh with care, he found himself boneless and at his mercy. 

At first, the sensations were too much. The burning that blossomed into full pain before it faded into something pleasurable again, the scent invading his senses and Peter’s closeness did strange things to him. 

His mind wanted to wake up and ask questions, but all his body wanted to do was relax and let go. For once the body won, and slowly, while Peter worked his muscles and manipulated his body like it belonged to him by right, his mind quieted down. 

No one had ever given him a massage so Chris never knew how relaxing it could be. It was like floating while a blanket of pure calm enveloped his whole being. Slowly but surely, sleep began to claim him. 

Chris had never before fallen asleep with someone else in the room with him, much less with someone still touching his body. He knew he should have been terrified by what could happen, by what the other man could do to him, and yet he couldn’t fight it. 

Consciousness began to fade and Chris’ last thought was that he wasn’t scared at all. 

*** 

Peter didn’t expect for Chris to fall asleep. He had hoped it would happen but didn’t actually believe it until the moment he felt his body to go slack because of his ministrations. The poor pet was probably more exhausted than he realized. 

Pride swelled in his chest. The logical part of his mind knew that what just happened wasn’t a sign of trust on Chris’ part, but it was a step in the right direction. 

When he was sure the pet wouldn’t wake up, he looked around for a blanket. The club owner had a soft spot for aftercare so every single room, even the ones used for the more extreme practices, had everything a Dom could need. 

Chris was a piece of art. Peter was sure that if he was born during the Renaissance many artists would have paid his weight in gold just for the privilege to portray him in his naked glory. Peter would never get tired of looking at him, but for now, he knew that what his body needed was a warm cocoon where his unconscious mind could feel safe. 

There was something in the act of taking care of a sub that deeply satiated Peter’s nature. The man in front of him could be the biggest challenge his inner Dom had ever faced before, but one thing was sure, Peter would do everything in his power to keep him now that he had gotten a small taste of what Chris could give him. 

*** 

Chris came to his senses with a startle. At first, he didn’t recognize the place and panic raised its ugly head but soon enough memories came back to him and he remembered where he was and why. 

That didn’t help much with the panic. He was alone now but the blanket around him created a warm nest where he was almost completely hidden. That helped a lot more than Chris was ready to acknowledge for now. 

The rumpling sound of crinkling paper attracted his attention. There was a piece of paper near his head, covered in elegant handwriting. His sleepy eyes needed a few moments to focus on the words and then he froze. 

Meet me at my office tomorrow at 9 PM 

P. H.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris at work, to show that he can be both a shark and the submissive we already met.

When Chris arrived at his office he was a bundle of nerves ready to break. To always be early worked in his favor that day, he reached his office alone with his coffee and switched on his laptop long before his personal assistant was ready to remind him the appointments for the day. 

 

In the time he spent alone going through his notes for the two meetings scheduled for the day, Chris felt his body relax. This was his world, and he was good at his work. Slowly the thoughts about what happened yesterday and what would happen later left his mind. Chris turned into the businessman that many had underestimated. When they began to regret their mistake, it was already too late and they were ruined or disgraced in the eyes of competitors. If Gerard taught him something, it was how to break the marketplace trust in business. No one could hope to rise again after that kind of fall. 

 

Thinking about destroyed reputations took his mind where Chris didn’t want to go. For years Talia Hale had been celebrated as one of the most powerful women in the financial world, and yet she was destroyed by Gerard’s plots and plays. Not even a firm as sturdy as hers had survived the inside trading that no one could verify. 

 

Chris knew it had been his father, but the man was a snake and even if everyone whispered behind his back, no one was brave enough to openly accuse him. 

 

With a loud sigh, Chris began to type again. The board directors had pressured him for a meeting for weeks now. They all wanted to know why he thought it was a good idea to accept the commission of a whole supply of GAU-8 Avengers.

 

The headache he was nursing since he woke up was already getting worse thanks to stress, but Chris didn’t know where his pills were, until he saw one in front of him, followed by a steaming mug of tea. 

 

“Are you okay?” A kind voice asked. Usually, his assistant would be loud and full of energy, but that morning he was subdued like he knew instinctively that Chris wasn’t doing well. 

 

“Just a headache. Thanks for the breakfast.” 

 

Unlike Gerard, he was used to interacting with the people around him, treating them as human beings and not slaves. That was the reason why when he left his father’s company, many followed him. 

 

“If you call that breakfast, I won’t envy your husband when you’ll finally find one.” John was his one of his oldest friends and one of the few people who knew he was gay. He wasn’t supposed to be his assistant. The man had a past in the army and was discharged with honor after a wound destroyed his career. He had medals hidden somewhere at home, and Chris would have been more than happy to give him free rein in Security, but John refused. He claimed that Chris needed someone he could trust by his side and never left. 

 

For the first time in years, Chris wasn’t sure what his friend would do if he knew about last night. He felt safe knowing that he could read John like an open book, and it was disconcerting for him to think that he had no idea how he would react to the name Peter Hale, or to the knowledge of their meeting. 

 

“You sure you’re okay?” Chris almost jumped when he felt a heavy and strong hand cup his left shoulder. He nodded, trying to smile but was sure the light never reached his eyes. He was still lucky that at least the so-called smile didn’t come out as a sour smirk.  

 

“Just busy, and in pain.” John didn’t need to know that his back and ass were on fire, no matter how soothing the oil Peter used was. The man had given him what he needed, hard, and the most twisted part of Chris couldn’t stop gloating about it. 

 

“Try to go home at a decent time today, or I’ll drag you there. I scheduled your lunch break for 2 pm. That should give you time to recharge between your damn meetings, and if you need any insight into the military mind tricks just let me know.” 

 

It was uncommon for John to use his Captain’s voice, but Chris was sure that that was how he was just being scolded by his friend. He could only answer with a mock two fingered salute that John scoffed at. It was good to have someone like him around. 

 

***  

 

The first meeting was the hardest. The board hated him and his ways so Chris tended to put those first- John claimed it was because deep down he was a masochist-  but the real reason was the sooner he could end those, the sooner he could dedicate his time to the aspects of his job he really liked. 

 

Today wasn’t any different. As soon as Chris appeared and walked to his place, the atmosphere changed in the meeting room. As chairman, he knew he had the power but that didn’t change how much the other members present tried to intimidate him. The decision to maintain the role of CEO was a brilliant one, but it also meant more time spent with people he didn’t really like. 

 

The only reason why he chose them was that they were the best he could get. All of them had previous experience with Gerard and other weapons manufacturing companies around the world. All of them came highly recommended but with the advice to keep an eye on them if Chris didn’t fancy getting stabbed in the back. 

 

As long as he showed no weakness in their eyes, Chris knew they wouldn’t boycott him and his company. The gazes he got when he looked at them spoke of men ready to strike if a drop of blood was dropped in their tanks and his only reaction was a nod of his head and a small smile on the lips. 

 

When they all answered the same way, Chris knew his place was safe for another day. When he sat, the other men did the same. Love for good incomes and a shared hate against Gerard were good bases to found an empire on. 

 

The older representative was the first to speak. Chris had spent nights figuring out how the man would express his doubts about his last decision. He was good at reading people and knew the man had many years under his belt spent mining positions of power and personal authority even in companies ten times bigger than his.

 

The man was using good pieces of evidence to point out that what he did was a risk, but without being disrespectful of Chris position. He was a good tactician and Chris was glad he chose the man personally.   

 

When he finished exposing the facts, the older man sat down again, but he never stopped to look straight into Chris’ eyes. It was a power play and Chris had bad cards in his hands. He always loved a good challenge. 

 

“I can’t disagree with Mr. Jenckins. We have little time to ship the supply the Air Force requested. Our engineers and technicians are already at work. Our blueprints have been approved and are the best we could present. It’s a risk, yes. But it’s also a rare occasion I couldn’t pass up on. Never before has a relatively small company like ours been challenged with an order from the Navy. It’s the first time since the Vietnam war that they changed suppliers. It’s our occasion to show them that we are ready for this kind of test. And let’s be honest here, I couldn’t let go a contract for billions of dollars that Gerard would have loved to sign.” 

 

That gained actual giggles from people who spent their lives being intimidating and aspiring to be emotionless robots. 

 

After a loud throat clearing sobered the atmosphere once again, Mr. Jenckins took back the stage. “And what if we fail, Chairman Argent?” 

 

Chris sighed. Jenckins went straight for the jugular, but that wasn’t unexpected. Chris calmly put his open hands on the table in front of him and rose. “Then, you’ll be free to dance on my grave, but until that moment, I am the chairman and CEO of my company and mine is the last word. We take the contract and we’ll do our best to respect it.” 

 

When he walked out, ending the meeting in a way that no one had seen coming, Chris held his head high. If they had thought he would show fear of a possible failure they were disappointed. 

 

*** 

 

“Did it go that well?” John’s voice made Chris jump in his chair. Any raging word died on his lips as soon as he saw the food his friend was carrying. The smell was so amazing that his stomach gurgled so loudly that instead, Chris exploded in an awkward laugh. Good God, he didn’t even realize he was famished. The moment he put the first bite in his mouth, he wolfed down the whole thing  

 

“Slow down Chris, you’ll choke on that meat.” John’s strong hand weighed on his own and he was forced to let go of his fork. In its place, John put a glass filled with water. 

 

“You look even worse than you did this morning.” 

 

“Thank you. It’s good to know I can count on you to cheer me up.” 

 

“At least you can count on me to always telling you the truth, Chris.” The smile he got was a real one, something not common in his field. 

 

“You look like hell. You need a vacation, or at least you need to find a way to look after yourself properly. You’re the core of this company and she’s your baby, but you’ll be useless to her if you don’t take care of yourself first.” 

 

Chris knew those words by heart. It wasn’t the first time that John gave him the speech, but the truth was he never learned how to stop when his limits were so close to breaking. He couldn’t slow down because he needed to be ahead of his past and nightmares. He couldn't allow them to catch up with him or he would collapse under their weight. 

 

“All things I can’t have now. All I can do is to finish my lunch and get ready for the next meeting. So stop bothering me,” he said with a small smile on his lips. 

 

“One of these days, Chris, I’ll find a way to make you listen to me,” John added before he left him alone to finish his daily tasks. Chris didn’t have the heart to tell him that he only met one man who could hope to have that kind of power on him. 

 

***  

 

The second meeting of the day was the one Chris enjoyed. R&D was the reason why he chose to follow Gerard’s steps in the first place. Since he was a child, creating was the pushing force that Chris followed. He loved to know how things worked and how they were put together. Engineering was his first love and the passion between them never decreased. Chris could understand why people thought he was married to his job. 

 

Losing his tie and putting on the white coat with his name on it was like switching on the most real part of him and letting it out to play. He accepted the contract because of the money, but also because the Avengers were among some of the most complicated weapons to build. H wanted the challenge. 

 

If a gun could be fixed even with a faulty project, the GAU-8 were impossible to fix. A mistake resulted in the end of the whole production. That was what Chris needed when he sat down to study and create. 

 

His lab was like a candy store for any child, and Chris wasn’t ashamed to show how at ease he was there. He spent months putting together a team worth the scientists he had left behind when he left Gerard, but in the end, he did it. 

 

The lab and the schematics in front of him were his elements, and Chris lost himself in developing the electrically controlled hydraulic-driven, one of the most complicated parts to put together. Working on an ancient clock would be easier and Chris was happily tinkering on the project, his mind finally free from any other thought. 

 

Any other day, Chris would have stayed in the lab all night, working so hard he forgot to sleep and lost track of time, so everyone was shocked when at eight, he saved his progress and packed his things. 

 

Chris was pretty sure someone had whispered that that was one of the signs of Apocalypse, but his favorite reaction was the one that claimed he was an alien substitute of his true self. John would love that, so Chris tried to make a mental note to remember to share the joke with his friend in the morning. For now, he had somewhere to be and something told him that to be late wasn’t an option. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
